The Boy Scouts say current youth participation is about 2.35 million, down from 2.6 million in 2013 and more than 4 million in peak years of the past.

In February, the National Organization for Women issued a statement urging the Boy Scouts to allow girls to join.

NOW said it was inspired by the efforts of a 15-year-old New York City girl, Sydney Ireland, to emulate her older brother, who is an Eagle Scout.

Unlike the Boy Scouts, the Girl Scouts have maintained girls-only status for all their programs; the empowerment of girls is at the core of its mission."We know that girls learn best in an all-girl, girl-led environment," says Andrea Bastiani Archibald, a psychologist who provides expertise on development for the Girl Scouts' national programming.

Reasons include competition from youth sports leagues, a perception by some families that they are old-fashioned, and busy schedules that prompt some parents to despair of meeting all their children's obligations.

This photo of a swimming class at New Trier High School in Winnetka, Illinois appeared in photo archive website.

But it reminds me of what I experienced at Bennett High School in Buffalo during my freshman year (1957-58).

But thousands of boys had learned to dive off those boards, including me.

I was never a good diver because I was nearsighted and was always worried about where I would land.

"I implore you to condemn this behavior within your organization and to create consequences for these actions."The letter was first reported by Buzz Feed News.